Machine for and method of banding boxes



Dec. 14, 1948; w. F. GRUPE MACHINE FOR AND METHOD OF BANDING BO XES Filed March 6, 1946 N --..H E j j n Jwmmwmm mm wwmmmm m mmmmmm k INVENTOR W/LL/IM E G'Pl/PE ATTORN YS Patented Dec. 14., 1948 Q MACHINE FOR AND METHOD OF BANDING BOXES William F. Grupe,

Lyndhurst, N. J., asslgnor to Beech-Nut Packing Company, Canajoharie, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application March 6, 1946, Serial No. 652,339

6 Claims.

Food and other products that are packed in jars, cans or bottles are customarily shipped in boxes or cartons of corrugated paper or cardboard with a definite number of such articles packed in each carton.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a machine which is simple in construction and eflicient in operation for banding together filled cartons of the character indicated in groups of two or more cartons so as to enable each group to be shipped as a single package.

Another of the objects of the invention is to provide a novel and improved method of banding cartons for shipping purposes whichis particularly adapted to be carried out by my improved machine.

The several features of the invention, whereby these and other objects may be attained, will be readily understood from the following description and accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatical side view of a machine embodying the features of the invention in their preferred form; j

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatical plan view of the same with certain parts broken away; and

Fig. 3 is a view in perspective of a group of three boxes or cartons banded by my improved machine and in accordance with my improved method.

The machine illustrated in the drawings is particularly adapted for use in forming thev package shown in Fig. 3 which consists of three filled boxes or cartons I that are secured together in face to face relation by means of strips or hands 2 and 2' of paper or other suitable material that are adhesively secured across the longitudinal sides of the cartons. Previously to attaching the bands, the cartons are tightly pressed together and are maintained in that condition during the application of the bands and until the adhesive has become substantially set. Thus the several cartons are firmly and compactly secured together in a single package. Any desired number of cartons may be thus assembled and secured together so as to enable them to be shipped as a unit in cases where more than one carton of gOOdS is ordered.

As shownthe machine-comprises lower and upperconveyor belts 3 and 4. The lower belt passes over pulleys 6 suitably mounted in bearings on the machine frame. The upper stretch of this belt is arranged horizontally and is supported by anti-friction rollers 8.

lower.stretch of the belt 4 is arranged horizontally and is spaced directly above the upper stretch of the belt 3 and is acted upon by springpressed pressure rollers 12 of a conventional type which engage the upper side thereof. Guide plates l3 are arranged adjacent opposite sides of the space between the belts.

The lower belt may be driven by a sprocket wheel l4 secured on the shaft of the rear or left- ,hand pulley 6 (viewing Figs. 1 and 2) which in turn is' driven by a sprocket wheel It on a drive shaft l8 through a sprocket chain 20.

The upper belt 4 is driven by a sprocket wheel 22 secured on the .shaft of the lefthand pulley 6 through a chain 24 which passes over a sprocket wheel 26 on a shaft 28. The shaft 28 carries a gear 30= which operatively engages a gear 32 on the shaft of the lefthand pulley of the upper conveyor belt 4.

Through these driving means the upper stretch of the lower belt 3 and the lower stretch of the upper belt 4 are driven in the same direction and at the same speed.

In substantially the same horizontal planes with and in front of the conveyor belts 3- and 4 there are upper and lower conveyor belts 34 and 36. The lower conveyor belt 34 passes over pulleys 38 which are journaled in suitable hearings on the machine frame. The upper stretch of this belt slides over a supporting table 38. The upper conveyor belt 36 passes over pulleys 40 which are mounted in suitable'bearings on the machine frame. The lower stretch of this belt is acted upon by means of spring-pressed rollers 42 which engage the upper side thereof.

At the front or righthand end of the conveyor belts 34 and 36 there is a receiving table 44 which may be inclined as shown.

The bands 2 and 2 for banding the cartons together are supplied to the machine in rolls 48 and 50. The strip or band from the supply roll 48 passes beneath a guide roll 52 over a glue roll 54 which through rolls 56 receive glue from a glue pan 58, so as to coat one side of the band with adhesive. From the glue roll 54 the band passes upwardly over the central portion? of the rear end of the lower conveyor belt 34 as this belt passes over the lefthand pulley 38.

The strip or band 2 from the supply roll 50 passes over a lue-applying roll 60 which, through rolls 62, receives glue from aglue pan 64 and applies it to the underside of this band. From the glue roll 60 the band passes over the underside of the lower stretch of the belt 36 as the belt passes over the lefthand pulley 40.

With this construction, the cartons I to be banded are fed or set on to the rear portion of the upper stretch of the lower belt 3 which may be done either by hand or automatically. As the cartons are fed along they enter beneath the lower stretch of the upper driven belt 4, and between the guides It, the belt 4 applying pressure to the cartons by means of the spring-pressed rollers l2.

As the cartons leave the belts 3 and 4 they pass over a dead plate 45 located between the belt pulleys I and 38. This steps up a slight backpressure on the cartons that are being fed between the belts 3 and 4.

The belts 34 and 36 are not driven. As the cartons leave the dead plate 45 and enter the bite between rolls 38 and 40, they offer more back-pressure against the cartons between'the belts Nos. 3 and 4. This back-pressure causes the cartons between the belts 3 and 4 to slip under the belts and compress longitudinally of the belts. When the compression equals the force required to enter between belts 34 and 33 these belts move to carry the compressed cartons to the delivery end. At the point of greatest compression in the bite between the rolls 38 and 40, the wetted adhesive bands or tapes are applied to the tops and bottoms of the cartons. the delivery end of the belts 34 and 38 the tapes are set or dried and hold the cartons in compressed groups. Upon severing the attached tapes, the compressed groups are handled as individual packages.

As the cartons are pushed over the delivery table 44, the tapes may be severed so as to separate the cartons in groups of two or more as desired. This may be done automatically by means of knives 68 or by means 01 a hand-operated knife.

As will be evident to those skilled in the art, my invention permits various modifications with- .out departing from the spirit thereof or the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. The method of handing boxes together in groups which comprises feeding the boxes one behind the other in a, row, pressing the boxes together as.they are being thus fed, applying adhesive coated bands to the top and bottom sides of the boxes after the boxes are pressed together, applying-pressure to the bands as they are applied and maintaining the pressure thereon until the adhesive has become substantially set so as to firmly attach the bands to the boxes, and during the continued feeding movement of the boxes severing the bands so as to successively separate the boxes in groups from the row.

2. In a machine for handing boxes together, the combination of means for feeding boxes one behind the other in a row, devices for guiding bands having adhesive on one side thereof and applying the adhesive sides of the bands to opposite sides of the boxes as the boxes pass a predetermined station in their travel, means for applying pressure to the bands when they are applied and maintaining the pressure thereon until the adhesive has become substantially set so as to firmly secure the bands to the boxes, and means for thereafter severing the bands so as to successively separate the boxes in groups from the row.

3. In a machine for banding boxes together, the combination of two conveyor belts arranged in superposed relation and spaced apart, means for feeding boxes arranged one behind the other in a row between the belts and longitudinally When the cartons reach o boxes as the boxes successively pass between the belts, and means for causing the conveyor belts to apply pressure to the bands when they are applied tothe boxes and maintain pressure thereon until the adhesive has become substantially set so as to firmly secure the bands to the boxes.

4. In a machine for handing boxes together, the combination of two conveyor belts arranged in superposed relation and spaced apart, means for feeding boxes arranged one behind the other in a row between the belts and longitudinally thereof, devices for guiding bands and applying the bands to opposite sides of the boxes as the boxes pass between the conveyor belts, means for applying adhesive to one side of the bands so as to cause the bands to adhere to said boxes, means for causing theconveyor belts to apply pressure to the bands on the boxes so as to cause the boxes to be tightly pressed together as they pass between the belts and to cause the belts to be driven therewith through contact between the belts and the bands.

5. In a machine for banding boxes together, the combination of conveyor belts, pulleys over which the conveyor belts pass, opposite stretches of the conveyor belts being arranged in superposed relation and spaced apart, means for feeding boxes arranged one behind the other in a row between said stretches of the belts and longitudinally thereof, devices for guiding bands having adhesive on one side thereof over the conveyor belts as the conveyor belts pass over their pulleys at the entrance .end of said beltswhereby the bands are carried by the belts into engagement with opposite sides of the boxes so as to adhesively secure the bands to the boxes, and means for causing the belts to apply pressure to the bands and boxes to cause the belts to be driven by the feeding of the boxes between the belts and to cause the boxes to be tightly pressed together previously to the application of the bands thereto and until the adhesive has become subsantially set.

6. In a machine for handing boxes together, the combination of two belts arranged in superposed relation and spaced apart for receivingother, means for driving the belts to cause the boxes to be fed longitudinally between them, means for causing the belts to apply pressure to opposite sides of the boxes, 2. second set of belts arranged in alinement with the first set of belts for receiving the boxes as they are delivered from the first-mentioned set of belts, means for applying adhesively coated bands to opposite sides of the boxes as they enter between the secondmentioned pair of belts, and means for causing the latter belts to apply pressure to the bands and boxes as the boxes are fed between the second-mentioned belts to cause said belts to be driven therewith.

WILLIAM F. GRUPE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,776,255 Frontz Sept. 23, 1930 1,828,680 Rado Oct. 20, 1931 2,138,645 Koch Nov. 29, 1938 2,291,645 Nordquist Aug. 4, 1942 2,379,937 Sloan July 10, 1945 

